The race for the Kia Rookie of the Year player was interesting all season. The top three players all year were fighting back and forth, but the top two players were the most interesting race we have seen in a while. Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, and Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets battled all year for the award and only one of them could finish at the top.
With how good last year’s draft class seemed to be it was no surprise there was gonna be a good race for the award. Even with the close battle Cooper Flagg won the Kia Rookie of the Year award. Cooper Flagg was breaking all types of records for rookies all year. He was the only rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He was the youngest and first teenager to drop 50 points in a single game and so much more. He definitely deserved this award but that doesn’t mean we overlook Kon Knueppel. Kon broke a few records for rookies as well. He broke the all time rookie 3 point record making 273 three pointers during his season. He also led the league in threes and was the fastest ever rookie to make 200 three pointers. It seems he might be the best three point shooter we will see in a while. There were other finalists like VJ Edgcombe who averaged 16 points per game and scored 30 or more multiple times. These other finalists were obviously great too and deserve the praise they get. There were just two people who stood out a little bit more. This season’s rookie class was once in a lifetime class but seeing how competitive next year’s draft class is we could have another tight race for the rookie of the year next year. There is a lot that goes into deciding the winner of awards like this. Things like stats, records and more are considered. That is why it was so close between Kon and Cooper.
Cooper Flagg definitely deserved this award for everything he has already done in his hopefully long lasting career. People could also say Kon deserved it more but the NBA has made their decision. Both players are great and I hope they both have All Star seasons within the next few years. Look out for next year’s rookies and pay attention to who might win the award because that could show you your future super stars of the league. For more information go to NBA.com.
